


Remembrance

by Skyriazeth



Series: Swapfell [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swapfell, Big Brother Papyrus, Brotherly Bonding, Experimentation, Exposition, Gen, Imprisonment, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Post-Undertale, Reincarnation, Swapfell Papyrus - Freeform, Swapfell Sans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-08-18 12:59:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8162801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyriazeth/pseuds/Skyriazeth
Summary: The underground wasn't what it used to be anymore. It changed, for better or worse. Old faces started appearing-- yet at the same time all the different.Now, two brothers struggle to survive the new underground that is "killed or be killed."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Have some backstory regarding on the BqKetchup I'm writing--
> 
> I got inspired by @Undertalefruitsalad 's -Breaking Free- Swapfell Fic to write this, you'll be able to see the influence, so huge thanks for writing that! IT was a wonderful fic I really enjoyed and hope you continue! With that out of the way, I'm still on hiatus due to exams and currently facing writer's block so I can't actually write a new chapter, so have this instead--

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Ever since the 8th human had set them free-- monsters finally released from the barrier that had sealed them in, things had turned for the worst.

The humans killed any monster in sight, mercilessly and without a thought. They were driven back to the underground once again, being unable to fight against the human forces. They weren't prepared. They never intended for war, Frisk had promised to be their ambassador to negotiate the terms so that the two races could perhaps co-exist peacefully with each other, but as soon as the child and their friends were found, they were the first to die.

Toriel was devastated. Sobbing intensely as she used her magic to shield her friends, who looked as horrified as she was by the sudden display of hostility. The Queen ordered them to run-- far, far away from these terrible _monsters_ that would even dared kill their own kind, no less a child. That was the moment where she had lost all respect, all sympathy for the humans. They were vile, ruthless creatures and Toriel finally saw that as her child's soul that hovered in their remains simply cracked and vanished. Without hesitation, flares of roaring fire sparked through the silent night, her magic efficiently eradicating most of the humans in sight. Asgore, the king of the underground stood there in stunned silence, expression in utter shock by the other's  
action. A deadly aura radiated from the Queen, pupils blood red as her LV increased, marking her new rule.

She gathered the dust of her friends who didn't make far, Asgore following silently behind before declaring herself the new monarch of the underground.

 

* * *

 

LOVE is a dangerous thing. It hurts, and it gets you killed. But that's why every time you gain it, ecstasy rushes through your entire being, and you want more. All to yourself and no one else.

Under the new rule of Queen Toriel , things have changed, for the better or worst. LOVE had made her mad for power—the once docile and gentle mother figure gone. The King refused to accept this, that his former loving wife had turned into what he had feared to become.

So he retreated to the ruins, just like how she had too.

 

* * *

 

The dust-spreading ceremony was held more often now. It didn't take long for the kingdom to follow in their Queen's footsteps, with the same hatred for the humans that was shared among them.

Everyone had LV now-- despite the rapid decline of the population of monsters, resources were scarce, and only the strongest of the strongest could survive. The only monsters that were untainted by another's dust were the children-- still so innocent and unknowing. They would learn eventually, though. No monster was safe from this.

 

* * *

 

One day, a familiar face showed at the Queen's doorstep, offering himself to be the royal scientist that she so desperately needed. The current staff that was working on a way to fight back against the humans were lackluster and not the brightest, so after giving it some thought, she agreed.

The lean skeleton monster smiled, heading straight to the labs as if he had always knew his way around. The queen didn't pay that any mind or found it concerning that he didn't require an escort-- she was far too busy with her own work to be worrying about such 'minor' little things.

The staff however wasn’t keen on the Queen’s decision. Rumors of his unknown origins spread throughout the ranks of the labs like wildfire, and the most prominent one was that the young fellow had a striking resemblance to the first Royal Scientist—Dr. Windings.

It didn’t take long for the fire to die down with the skeleton dismissing every possible suspicion they had. With that, The Royal Scientists finally accepted the fact that none of their questions were going to get answered no matter how much they pushed on and decided it was best to leave him alone.

Despite the initial heat of his arrival already dissipating, his name was still spoken often among his colleagues. Most of the time, it was how he had made an extraordinary breakthrough once again.

Gaster was shortly appointed as the Head of the Royal scientist by Queen Toriel due to the astounding work he had done.

 

* * *

 

Working on ways to revolt against the humans was not all Gaster did in the labs after acquiring such a high ranking. He also conducted experiments of his own, his staff not even questioning him the slightest about his plans. Not even when the Doctor had smuggled some of the fallen monsters dust's the Queen so cherished from her quarters.

The rest of the scientists mindlessly followed his lead, and a new monster was made successfully by his own bones and magic, along with the newly acquired dust. Strangely enough, regular monster dust never worked, yet this 'special' dust did.

Gaster didn’t care about that though—he was finally one step closer to set his plans into motion with his new creation. A crooked grin crossed his face as he cradled the new being that had been brought to life; the pure, white soul resonating from the infant's ribcage—prideful with his achievement.

He named it ‘Papyrus’.

The infant laughed joyously at Gaster, something that will surely change with the horrors that he's to meet by the hands of the same monster that had created him. He was unfazed by it though-- there's a reason it's called karma, after all.

 

* * *

 

Loud screams rang through the labs daily now. Gaster had put his new subject through many experiments and trials once it had reached the optimal age. The results so far...were not as  
promising as he had hoped for, but there's still time for more potential to fester. Papyrus had now began to fear him, and for only a small child, he had an abnormal amount of strength-- taking down his lab assistants quite easily and at times getting close to dusting himself as well. The older he grew, the more he struggled and protested when he was bought to experiment on. So Gaster prompted to take some precautions.

 

He restrained the boy and clasped a magic suppressing collar around his neck, restricting his usage of magic making him much weaker in comparison.

As much as Papyrus tried to struggle throughout the countless experiments, it was all futile. And slowly, it seemed he resigned to this fate. Yet the tests results never improved-- they were never good enough, and Gaster started to get impatient. Papyrus was strong, yes, but he wasn't 'intellectual' enough. The weekly sessions of schooling didn't appear to do much to improve his knowledge on science-- he was just disinterested. But when he was presented with puzzles, he became intrigued. He solved all of them in record time, breezing through them with ease one  
after another. Sadly Gaster did not have such use of this skill, though it was interesting to see this subject be so well versed at it.

Papyrus' mentor had said that he was a smart kid, but the doctor scoffed at that. If one cannot understand the complexity and beauty of science, he simply could not see someone as 'smart'.

 

* * *

 

Papyrus didn't want this. He never wanted this to be his life—being tortured like this and helpless to object. He had always wondered what it was like outside the monochrome white labs, free from the reinforced glass cell he's forced to stay in when he's not being taken away for training or experiments. The small skeleton would always come back bruised with fresh wounds, and if the tall skeleton that he would never call his father was in a good mood, a healer and some food will be waiting for him. If not, the abuse he had endured for the day will not be seen to. He had already accepted that. What he didn't accept was the times where Gaster let out his frustration on him, calling him 'useless' and a 'failure’, going so far as to hit him. He did the best he could, and he still wasn't satisfied! He was furious the first few times, it wasn't fair that he was treated this way. If not for the collar around his neck, he would have dusted him a long time ago—just like how he had dusted all the others he trained with.

  
As time passed, Papyrus grew apathetic. The defiance in him slowly seeped away, along with the will to live. He didn't even try anymore, most of the time slumped against the walls of his cell with an empty, hopeless look. Despite all that, he felt relieved, it felt as if everything was going to be over soon, that he can maybe rest knowing he'll never wake up to this hellish nightmare of a reality.

 

* * *

 

The doctor had been secretly working on another test subject since he had deduced that 'Papyrus' was a failed outcome. Having still some leftover dust from the previous experiment, he created another monster, not surprisingly smaller than the one before him due to the what little amount of dust he had to work with.

He named this subject 'Sans', and raised him on his own this time, deciding to take a different route from Papyrus. The Head of the Royal Scientist taught him at a young age, and as he hoped, he was a fast learner in the regard. By the age of 4, he could already solve complicated equations of which had took him a while to figure out. He found out that his physical abilities were sorely lacking however, only having one hp puts you at a disadvantage in this world. Sans would need a lot of training to get his combat skills and stats to an acceptable level.

The Queen was never once suspicious about anything he did, still wrapped up in the ruin state of her kingdom and fully trusting the doctor and his ministrations.

When Gaster received the recent news of the state of Papyrus, he was a displeased—annoyed even. All his hard work throughout the years were going to be wasted, and despite him being a failure, his superior strength and combat skills could still be proved useful.

The Doctor had to figure out a solution, and it took him a moment to realize that it was standing right in front of him while Sans tugged the lab coat he adorned. He could introduce the subject ‘Sans’ to ‘Papyrus’ as his brother—not only potentially have them form a close bond to stabilize ‘Papyrus’, but also have the older to teach and train his brother. Hitting two birds with one stone—not too bad of prospect with the only downside being the two of them rebel and try to escape.  After some consideration, he noted that he didn’t have much of a choice, so the decision was made—He would let the two brothers be together and closely monitor them, and if they got too intimate for his comfort, he could take them apart easily before they had the chance to do anything.

 

* * *

 

Rumors were being passed around of Gaster’s secret subject, the topic on most of the staff’s conversation lately. After extended periods of isolation, this somehow seemed to pique Papyrus’ interest. Who was this new ‘subject’ they were talking about? If Gaster made him, was the subject like him too? His curiosity didn’t last long as realization set in for him and knowing that he’ll never know, being trapped in this prison. Though before he could fall back to his depressive episodes, news came by that the doctor and his new subject will be visiting, which filled Papyrus with hope once more to even catch a glimpse of this ‘subject’.

 

* * *

 

Wearing a comfortable turtleneck sweater, Sans was prepared to meet this ‘brother’ of his. Admittedly, he was a bit excited for this. His father had been the only person he’s ever met and talked to in his life, and meeting someone new, no less his _brother_ , was definitely something he was looking forward to. A hand holding on his father’s, Sans took his first step to the world outside, and set off to the labs his father had been leaving to every single day.

When the two had arrived, and the labs of the door slid open, intense gazes fell on them, followed by mummers and ushers between the scientists. The tall skeleton seemed to pay them no mind, while Sans was tensing up, sticking as close to Gaster as possible. He felt extremely uncomfortable with so many foreign eyes on him, so he stared at the ground and tried to block out whatever talk was going on about him.

It took some time of walking before they reached to a desolate hallway, an area only a few authorized personnel could enter. Only then could Sans begin to relax, his enthusiasm to meet his brother back. Lights flickered violently as they proceeded down the path, and Gaster came to a halt. Sans did the same, feeling uneasy by the sudden interruption they were met with. A loud pop could be heard, and in an instant, everything was dark. A silent gasp escaped the small skeleton’s mouth while an irritated grumble came from the taller beside him.  
  
“Ugh, can’t those incompetent fools even handle something as simple as this?” even in the dark, Sans could tell that his father was not pleased with this, groaning in annoyance before placing a gentle hand on his head.

“Sans, be a good boy and stay here, okay? I need to handle some work, so can you do that for me?” Sans nodded in reply, and apparently, that sufficed because Gaster left without a word, leaving him standing alone in the blackness.

Blue magic flared from both his eye sockets, illuminating the small area around him. He certainly wasn’t planning on waiting in the dark for him, so this would do for now. Before he could do any exploring however, loud crying could be heard from the hallway that lead to some place unknown. Sans tried to ignore it—he didn’t want to go against his father’s order, but something appeared to make him draw closer to the source of the sound, curiosity getting the best of him.

Sans continued down the path cautiously, unsure what to expect. The sobbing grew louder, and the sight Sans was met with was worrying.

Orange magic lit the glass chamber, and at the very corner was a skeleton _just like him_ , curled up on itself as if to protect itself from pending danger. Tears brimmed its empty eye sockets, falling furiously as he continued its pained sobs.

Sans felt an odd feeling that he never experienced before when he saw this—a need to comfort the crying skeleton, a need to be close to it, a need to _protect it_  and make sure it won’t end up like that again. Without a second thought, bones pierced right through the glass prison, and it shattered immediately with no resistance. Sans rushed to the curled figure’s side, but slowing down when he was a few feet away.  
  
“I’m scared… I-I’m scared… p-please don’t leave me alone….” He could hear the silent pleas and murmurings of the subject now, hands clutched firmly on its head, violent tremors shaking through its body. It was scared, and it needed help. It wasn’t aware of Sans’ presence, but that changed once Sans spoke.

“Shhh… it’s okay… there’s nothing to fear … I’m here.” His voice came out gentler than usual, never having needed to do such a thing. Yet it came to him almost naturally, the soft cooing working its magic as the orange magic that filled the room gradually dissipating. The subject was calming down as well, breaths coming out less erratic than before, sobs now all but fading into quiet hics and sniffles.

Sans hesitated for a moment when he was barely a feet away from it—he didn’t want to frighten it any further. The smaller skeleton placed a hand on the subject’s shoulder, and immediately it broke out from whatever trance he was in, lowering its hands and looking up at Sans. Its eye sockets were still full of tears, but he could tell that he was no longer crying, if the curious look while he observed him from head to toe was any indication.

“Are you okay?” Sans spoke first ,and the other flinched at the foreign sound though he still nodded. A worried look crossed his face, concerned about his well-being. It looked so broken, hurt and resigned. He wanted to change that. So Sans put on the biggest and brightest smile he had, and wiped the remaining tears just like how Gaster always did with him.

“I’m not sure what happened… but I’m glad you’re fine! I’m Sans! What’s your name?” He asked him with all the cheerfulness in the world.

“ _Papyrus.”_

The subject whispered, and Sans swore it sounded so familiar somewhere before. Oddly enough, it—no he, smiled in return, leaning into Sans’ touch as if it’s been years he’s being treated well. The smaller skeleton didn’t pull away though—the blissful smile he saw on the other’s face was definitely worth the while, and he wanted to see that wide grin forever on Papyrus’ face.

The lights flickered back on yet it was strangely dimmer than outside, and a relieved sigh could be heard from Papyurus, his eyelights returning and whole body going slump.

“T-the lights’ back on… finally…” Papyrus was doing much better now, his voice relaxed as he shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. Sans took a seat beside him, and he didn’t even mind one bit, so he assumed it was fine.

“Are you afraid of the dark?” Sans himself was surprised that he dared ask a question like that right after what happened, but he was curious—had always been curious. He could see Papyrus flinch slightly before answering with a nod, looking away no doubt embarrassed as Sans could see the tint of orange that dusted his cheekbones.

“Hey, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Sans stifled out a small chuckle, which drew the other’s attention, and made him laugh nervously along as well. It was a silly little thing to be afraid of the dark—but everyone had their own fears. If that was what Papyrus was afraid of, he would protect him from that as well.

 _“I see you’ve met your brother.”_ A flat and amused voice came from the other side of the shattered glass prison, the tall scientist’s shadow forming an overcast over the two of them.

“Father!” Sans practically ran into Gaster’s open arms upon seeing him, grin wider than before.

“What do you think?” His father asked innocently, a pleased smirk on his face.

“I _love_ him so much! I want to stay with him, just like you said!” He was excited to spend more time with his brother now that he knew him, and Gaster was going to let him! The royal scientist nodded in satisfaction, a hand gesturing for Papyrus to come over. Sans turned to look at his newly introduced brother.

Papyurus looked…

Scared again.

Afraid.

Afraid of… what? Sans didn’t know.

Despite that, he still listened and reluctantly paced to Gaster’s side, Sans noticing that his eyelights were trained on the floor. A hand was placed on his shoulder and Papyrus’, the _familiar_ hold soothing to him.

“I trust you two will get along. Papyrus will be a great teacher, won’t you, Papyrus?” A sharp inhale was heard, followed by a careful nod from him.  
  
“Yes, I will do my best.” Sans’ bright blue eyes were looking at him with anticipation, and the smile was back on his face. The younger hugged his brother tightly, simply too happy that he got to meet him.  
  
_“I promise we’ll be happy together! Promise!”_ He nuzzled into him affectionately, and Papyrus huged back.

That’s all he needed then.

 

* * *

 

 


	2. Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to quietly leave this here annnnnd disappear-   
> Random extra installment with the same premise. 
> 
> You never saw me here-

This could not be happening. Sans frantically searched for Papyrus in their cell, but found no traces of him--his magic, his presence, his innocent laughter. The room was empty, barren, and it terrified him. Their father promised that he would never hurt the older sibling, as long as he was a good boy and went through all the experiments and training. Which he did, but he couldn't help but feel the fear gnawing at him when he found out Papyrus was gone. He was always here—and he couldn't leave either.

His brother couldn't have just left him and escaped by himself... Right? No, that wasn't like him at all-- he cared far too much for Sans to have simply left him behind. It must have been something else. Sans stood in the middle of the room, observing the objects that were scattered around it. And then, he saw it. Something amiss. A glittering gold puzzle laid on the floor, one of the few gold items his father had given to him, and Sans had thoughtfully shared with his brother. Papyrus always carried it with him at all times, fiddling with it when he was bored in hopes to solve the complicated puzzle one day. Sans had quickly lost patience with it within the first few days, and since Papyrus was much more interested and much more adept in puzzles than Sans, he had decided to pass it over to him temporarily. Or at least that's what he told Gaster. In truth, Sans just wanted to gift it to him-- so he had something to do when the younger was off in his private training.

Sans picked up the metallic puzzle into his hand, and clenched it tightly in his skeletal fist. Whatever happened to Papyrus, their father's doing or not-- he's going to find out. Not wasting another precious moment, he sprinted into action, searching from room to room. His hope seemed to plummet though with each question that left his mouth, only to be greeted with another 'no' , the scientists knowing nothing of his brother's disappearance. It couldn't be that Papyrus had left him... He refused to accept it. Filled with a rush of energy, he finally reached the last office- Gaster's office. Did he dare interrupt their father in such trying times? The answer was most definitely yes but as he was about to enter-- Sans heard a stranggled sob and a loud thud.

"Useless mutt! You're no better of than those pathetic dogs in Snowdin! Who do you think you are to raise your voice against me?" His father's voice was fierce and stern, and an educated guess lead him to the conclusion that it was Papyrus he was talking to. Gaster had always favoured Sans over Papyrus, that much was obvious. But he never knew that Gaster was the one mistreating him so badly, hearing troubling tales of his brother's tormenter every now and then when he had a panic attack. Sans tried to reason with himself, that Gaster was doing this for a reason, but none of them checked out. He peeked into a small hole that was etched on one side of the office, and he saw red.

Papyrus was scrambling to a corner on the floor, fearful and freighted beyond belief as more sobs escaped him, his shaking figure curled into a ball. Gaster was standing proud and tall as always, but this time, he had an air of intimidation to him as he stepped forward and picked the small skeleton up by his magic supressing collar. Sans had to use every ounce of determination in his body to prevent himself from rushing in there and defending his brother. He knew that this was not the best course of action, and would only serve as a road to more complications.

Truly, the way Gaster treated his brother was as of an unruly mutt, even requiring him to wear a collar at all times--which Sans thought was inhumane, even compared to human standards. But their father had always assured that it was all for Sans' own good-- which felt more like a lie by this point. Papyrus was a powerful monster, and can easily take down even the most experienced war veterans. As Sans now realized, it was no wonder Papyrus had that restraining piece of technology clasped around his neck. They were afraid of what he could do.

He took a sharp breath and continued to observe the mutiny unfold before his eyes, his eyelights growing brighter and brighter as it went on.

"Do you even know the significance of such a precious metal?" Their father revealed a necklace which dangled from his hand-- the very same he had given Papyrus. Sans was livid. How dare he ripped Papyrus of the one single thing he had gifted to him?! Papyrus was important to him! Sans had every right to give it to the older just like how Gaster had given it to him. It was extremely unfair-- why was their father able to do things, and he can't do the same without Papyrus having to suffer for it. Sans could hear the quiet whimpers of Papyrus, and audible clanking of bones while Gaster lowered himself to look at his brother with disgust.

"Of course you don't. It's only for important monsters, not useless wastes of space like you." Papyrus flinched at the words, and Sans saw that it had cut deep. He was so close to him—barely inches apart, yet separated by the cold wall, concealed from Papyrus. Sans could feel his soul ache to comfort the other, to reach out and tell him the real truth, not whatever Gaster was spitting almost spitefully at him.

“I’ve wasted enough of my time. I want you to return to Sans, or it’ll be the last you hear of him.” The doctor threw the necklace harshly, right in front of Papyrus, and the older snapped out of his trance immediately, scrambling to retrieve it. Without sparing another glance, Gaster made his way out of the office, and thankfully did not sense Sans’ presence, probably due to being consumed by his rage. Though, what was going on with his father? He was usually calm, but was this really the Gaster he knew? Sans couldn’t tell. All he was worried about is his brother, the younger rushing inside to see Papyrus be alarmed, clutching the necklace as close as he could, before quickly turning into a sobbing mess.

It didn’t take more than a second for Sans to hug him tight, and tighter still. Sans can now see the bruises and cuts his father had inflicted on him up close, and his non-existent gut churned at the sight. This is not how he was supposed to act. He was supposed to be a loving father to them both, and they would be a happy, blessed family. But he was sorely mistaken—and that was the very last time it would happen. Sans was not about to let Gaster hurt his brother without…. _Repercussions_.

They stayed there, warm in each other’s arm as Papyrus calmed, and the sobbing turned into sniffs and hics. Sans didn’t care if Gaster saw him here, he was going to take as long as he needed to take care of Papyrus.

A bit reluctantly, they pulled away from each other. Papyrus didn’t dare lift his head to meet Sans, but when he did, what Sans saw was a tired and distressed monster, unlike his usual brother, so strong and brave—now seeming to be so powerless at their father’s whim.

“S-Sans, I have something to give back to you…” Papyrus did his best to speak up, and when Sans recognized what he was talking about, he took the other’s hand into his, squeezing it tight so Papyrus would feel the shape of the ornament.

“It’s yours, Papy. I don’t care what father says. You’re important to me, and I intend to let it stay that way.” Sans took hold of the string that held it together, and carefully looped it around his neck. Sans gave Papyrus a huge, dorky smile, the one he loves.

“Besides, you look great in it! This was practically made for you!” Sans nudged the older playfully, in hopes of lifting his spirits, which it did. Papyrus grin nervously, but it was at least an improvement from the expression before. Though, he seemed to hesitate at it, unsure if it’s a good idea or not. Wanting to reassure him, Sans hugged his brother briefly once more, before grabbing and tugging on his hand.  
  
“Come on! Since we’re already out here, we might as well go have some fun—let’s sneak into the palace gardens, how’s that sound?” At the mention of this, Papyrus smiled more vibrantly, and his usually chirpy-self had returned, eyelights gleaming.   
  
“Yeah! It’s been so long since I’ve been there.”

Sans knew Papyrus loved the gardens, and now he knew why. It was the one place Papyrus could be truly free—free from Gaster’s cruel treatment, free from expectations, the unnerving presence of scientists in the lab and large equipment, and free to do whatever he wanted with Sans. And Sans was glad he could be the one to make him feel, free.

**Author's Note:**

> This is how I worked the 'reincarnation' part and damn, it was surprisingly easy?  
> So much fun though--  
> Never thought I could make Swapfell so different.


End file.
